Leopold Otrolius
Leopold Otrolius was the eleventh Lord Reverend of Heplianism. He was noted for his militaristic tendencies and his support of the baronist faction in the Tristanian War of Independence. Early life Leopold Otrolius was born in 339 to a Tristanian family, and as such he was highly educated. Profiting both from the spread of the printing press and the prosperity under King Garrett I's reign, Leopold was able to become both a great military mind and a wise scholar. In 358, Leopold decided to enter the priesthood and the Monastery of Arms, and rose through the ranks at a fast clip. Military career In 370, Benedict IV of Dorio called the Monastery of Arms into the bloody Vote War. Leopold, by this time a Cavalier (mid-level officer), was put in charge of the northernmost front, where Dorian and Daravian forces converged into a wedge assaulting the Robarial holdings. However, the Robarials were adept defenders, and were able to render many of the Dorian attacks ineffective. Later in the war, Leopold did have some significant victories; he took advantage of weather and confusion to make significant territorial advances in the winter of 374 and spring of 375, and by holding a position at the fortress of Janassa he managed to disrupt Robarial supply lines in the area. Ultimately, though, Leopold could not reverse the trend of battle in other parts of Robaria, and Dorio conceded in 376. In 378, Leopold was promoted to the rank of Marshal, and he was from that point onward in charge of most army management. Lord Reverendship When Cyros Canthos died in 390, both secular and ecclesiastical leaders wanted to elect a warrior to the Lord Reverendship to turn the tide of the Valat Revolution. Thus, Leopold was appointed, and he was quick to both expand the Monastery of Arms and bring in support for the Dorian forces in the war. The move was controversial, and Leopold came under criticism by both Vazranist and Vazo-Heplian leaders; however, Leopold stood firm by his decision and provided as much support as possible until the cession of Valatsa in 393. Leopold would continue to aid Dorio in its faltering military efforts during the next decade, sending men to both Leguna and Kenkor as they revolted in turn; however, when Tristania revolted in 404, Leopold publicly switched to the Tristanian side. The result of this was division within the Heplian church and the Monastery of Arms, and so the Monastery of Arms had a number of embarrassing battles in which they found themselves fighting their own men. Aged and increasingly infirm, Leopold took to being carried around in a litter in the last decade of his life, but he still tried to attend as many battles as he could and provide leadership in person. Consequently, there were many attempts on his life in those years, but Leopold always made sure to defend himself well, and in 415 he had to personally fight off a pro-Farelia militant. Ultimately, Leopold succumbed to a heart attack in 419, on his way to a battle. Category:Tristanians Category:Heplian Priests Category:Religious Figures